Portable vacuum cleaner unit



July 29, 1952 G. P. STI-:TSER

PORTABLE VACUUM 'CLEANER UNIT Filed sept. 27, 1948 NRW@ Patented July'29, 1952 PORTABLE VACUUM CLEANER'U'NIT George P. Stetser, Drexel Hill,Pa., assignorto f Michael Friedman, Brooklyn, NLY'.

Application september 27, 1ers; Seriana". 51,384

1 This invention relatestosuction cleaning devices designed primarilyfor use in service stations and thelike for cleaning automobileinteriors;

A particular objects-ofthe invention iste-provide a deviceof thestatedcliar'acter adapted for actuation from sources of compressed airgenerally available inservice station's'land constructed so as tomake'prafcticable the-suction cleaningV of the interiors of.-automobiles from-'the outside of the latter, i. e., so that theeflicient use of the devicel in` the cleaning operation does not. entailthel necessityfor 'the operator entering the auto'- mobile.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the aforesaidcharacteristics in the form of a completely operative unit, said unitincluding means for attachment thereof by iiexible tube to an availablesource of air pressure.

Another more speciiic object of the invention i is to provide a deviceof the stated character wherein the suction nozzle is Widely separatedfrom the aforesaid exible tube connection, and wherein further themanually actuated valve which controls the flow of air to the device islocated in relatively close proximity to said connection; and whereinfurther the dust receptacle forming an element of the unit occupies aposition relatively close to the said valve and iiexible tube connectionso that the device may more readily be manipulated from the outside ofthe automobile to extend the suction nozzle to all parts of theinterior. I

Still another object of the invention is to pro vide a device of thecharacter described in the foregoing paragraph wherein the air ductsystem is associated with the suction nozzle in a manner aiordingmaximum suction for the available air pressure.

The invention resides further in certain structural and mechanicaldetails hereinafter described and illustrated in the attached drawingswherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective oi a suction cleaning device made inaccordance with my invention;

Fig. `2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the device; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views taken on the lines 3-3 and 4 4,respectively, of Fig. 2.

With reference to the drawings, the device in a preferred form comprisesan elongated tubular -body member I preferably made of a light weightmetal such as steel, aluminum or magnesium alloy. At one end of thisbody member is a suction nozzle 2 which may be of more or less conto thenozzle opening.

ventional formfasillustrate'di andthe vother endfof-1 thetube isembracedbyearubberor other'v ferrule 3 and contains a cylindrical' plug4" which'hasfjalongitudinalboreforreception of `atubeii Thi@ tube e,whicn nts nea-uy' within the boreo'ffuie c the nipple II by means of aconventional fitting I3 is a tube I4 which extends toward the nozzle endof the body member I and which terminates in a reverse curve as shown atI5 so that the open extremity is directed rearwardly toward the oppositeend of the body member I. In the present instance the tube I4 issupported by a clip I It so that it lies against the wall I'I of thenozzle 2 at the side opposite that from which the nozzle mouth I 3projects. From theA wall Il the terminal end of the tube curves smoothlydownwardly toward the inner end of the mouth I8 Iand terminates at apoint in proximity to said inner end. This arrangement has been found toafford maximum suction at the mouth I8. It is to be understood howeverthat the device does not depend for operation upon this particularlocation of the terminal end of the air duct III. In general, however,the lower the air pressure the closer should the terminal end of the airducts be The valve casing 9 contains a movable valve element 2I which isnormally seated by a spring 22 thus excluding the pressure air from thetube I4. Valve 2I may be displaced downwardly from its seat by manualpressure upon a stern 23 which projects upwardly through the top of thebody member I. The joint between the stem and wall of the body memberbeing closed by a suitable fitting 20. It is to be noted that this valveis located in proximity to the terminal end of the body member i, i. e.,that end to which the flexible air tube 'iis connected so that anoperator in grasping this end of the tube will iind the valve in aposition readily accessible to the iingers.

immediately in front of the plug I2 the tubular body member I isprovided with a port 24, and securedto the outer side of the bodyinember in position surrounding the port 2d is a tting 25 having anopening 26 the inner end of which registers with the port. The fitting25 is provided with an outer terminal ange 21 which provides forattachment of a fabric or other air permeable dust-retaining bag orreceptacle 28. In the present instance this bag is bound detachably tothe flange by a drawstring 29. The port 24--26 constitutes a dischargeport ,for the air projected rearwardly in the tubular body member fromthe duct I4 and for the dust and dirt particles drawn into the tubularbody member by suction through the nozzle 2 and entrained in the airstream, said particles being retained in the receptacle 28 in accordancewith known principles.

It will be noted that the receptacle 28 is located in proximity to therearoterminal end of the body member l so that this receptacle and thevalve 9, constituting the primary operating elements, as well as theconnection between the body member I and the flexible tube 1 are alllocated in proximity to the rear end of the body member leaving theforward end free and unobstructed so that it may be passed readily fromthe exterior of an automobile into even the more remote parts of theinterior for over-al1 cleaning purposes. The operator may thus avoid thenecessity for entering the car during the cleaning operation.

I claim:

In a vacuum cleaner of the character described, an elongated tubularcasing having a partition adjacent one end thereof dividing the interiorof the casing into terminal chambers of major and minor lengthsrespectively, said major chamber having an opening in the Wall thereofto- Ward the inner end of the chamber, an air duct extending into thecasing by Way of the minor chamber and through the partition into themajor chamber and terminating in the latter chamber in a discharge portdirected toward said opening, a valve unit detachably mounted in theminor chamber and connected-in said air duct so as to control the flowof pressure air through the latter, and an actuating element for thevalve extending through an opening in the wall of said minor chamber.

GEORGE P. S'I'ETSER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,078,512 Mills Nov. 11, 19131,114,592 De Witt Oct. 20, 1914 2,074,666 Patalano v- Mar. 23, 19372,091,642 Lingenbrink Aug. 31, 1937 2,293,115 Child Aug. 18, 1942FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 508,152 Great Britain June 27, 1939703,690 France Feb. 10, 1931

